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Mariners happy to be home

Mariners happy to be home

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SEATTLE -- Mariners interim manager Daren Brown just toughed out a 12-game road trip in which his team went 6-6. Now they're back home and have 10 games at Safeco Field coming up. He said he and the rest of the team are up for the challenge despite their struggles in 2010.

"It was a long road trip," Brown said. "I was happy, obviously. You go on a 12-day trip, the last six being Boston and New York, that's a tough trip for anybody. I thought we took care of business in Cleveland and Baltimore, winning two of three in both places, and then Felix [Hernandez] doing what a No. 1 starter does in the other two places, and that's going out and giving us a good ballgame.

"So I was happy with the road trip, and now we've got a tough homestand with good clubs coming in as well, so hopefully we continue what we started on the road."

Brown said the American League Central-leading Twins provide a solid challenge right away.

"I think [they] are ready to play every night from what I saw," Brown said. "We're trying to win ourselves, and it doesn't matter where anybody's at in the standings. Tonight, the only club we can beat is Minnesota. That's the only team that's on the other side.

"We know they have a good club, they've had a good club for a few years now, so for me, you've got to play good baseball, and against a team that's fundamentally sound, it makes it even more important. I look forward to it. I think it's a challenge and I think the guys in the clubhouse look forward to it."